Classic River Crossing

Back in the old days where winch were less reliable, prone to overheat and draining battery at an alarming rate, with no portable winch anchor on hand and no big tree in sight. How long will it take the team to cross a river that is at least 4 feet deep at some point ,  and a dreadful sandy river bed ?




Our first idea was to get a car over first , shackling all the straps and ropes we had and anchoring at the nearest tree we found. But the soft river bed was taking a toll on the overworked winch. Leaving the first car (Toyota Landcruiser 40) aside to cool down, we pushed the second car (Toyota Hilux) off the right bank. Moving in the downstream direction didn't seems to make it more easier as it inched towards the opposite bank. We solely relied on the winch just to avoid make the already very loose river bed even deeper.




Getting out of the nice sandy bank was no easy feat either. Eventually the Hilux managed to cross after changing anchor position a few times and tow out the stranded Landcruiser. We did not have much time left on the daylight. To avoid crossing the river in pitch darkness and save some time we decided that both the Hilux and Landcruiser should tow the rest of the cars over to the sandy bank and they could winch themselves clear. It was pitch dark when the last car made it cross the river but everyone's spirit were high. An incident filled expedition but a wonder topics for old talks in times to come.